For years visiting Germany was high on my list. After all, I knew my last name had German origins and long before visiting Germany I already knew I had an affinity for German food. So, it seemed almost fitting that I ended this whirlwind solo journey in Europe with some time in Munich.
After two and a half incredible days in Salzburg, I hopped on a train made my way to Munich for the remaining five days of my trip. I had a rough idea of what I'd hoped to do while there, had only one day tour booked so unlike my time in Switzerland, I would be flying by the seat of my pants. After arriving in the late afternoon, I made my way to my hotel dropped off my bags and set out to explore Munich on foot.
I headed first to what is considered the heart of Munich, Marienplatz. Along the way I encountered street performers and quickly noted many people standing in the main square awaiting what I soon learned was the chiming of the famous Glockenspiel. After taking in this traditional tourist attraction, I found a local pub and had my first authentically German bier. Because, while in Munich! Having had a full day already, I spent a little bit of time wandering the area surrounding Marienplatz before heading back to the hotel to rest up for the days ahead.
As I may have mentioned before, one of the first things I do when arriving in a large city is jump onto a Hop On/Hop Off tour. While often the typical tourist thing to do, it allows me to get my bearings in a new city and explore a few sites that are often a longer journey away by foot or public transport. After joining the bus, I first jumped off at Nymphenburg Palace, the summer residence to an heir to the throne in the 1600's. The expansive grounds were immaculate as I walked up to the incredible palace to take a tour inside. The intricate detail in the rooms was incredible and the colors vivid. The gold carriages were over the top, like nothing I'd seen before. After touring the inside, I wandered outside to explore the gardens behind the palace that seemed to go on for miles.
Once I was done touring the palace, I made my way back to the bus to hop off at my next stop, the BMW museum which was near the Olympic Park. While I do not have a huge interest in cars, it seemed fitting that just like partaking in German beer, one should also view a few fancy German cars, right? I'll admit I did not spend a lot of time here, so it was just another check off the list. I then made my way to Olympic Park where I wandered around the lake and through the carnival before making my way to the top of the lookout tower to take it all in from above. Unlike other Olympic parks I've toured in the world, Munich's was quite nice, and it was good to see that they are using the land for continued festivals and events. Making my way back into the city, I found myself back at Marienplatz for dinner, and of course beer!
My next day was one I'd been anticipating my entire trip as I had a day trip booked to Bavaria to visit King Ludwig's castles (yep, Neuschwanstein) and see a bit more of the countryside. I joined my tour group we made our way to Linderhof, King Ludwig's smaller palace. Smaller being the operative word, of course. I could have spent the morning leisurely wandering the grounds outside- it was beautiful. As we made our way inside for the guided tour, the exquisite detail of the rooms was beyond words. To say "Mad King Ludwig" was extravagant is an understatement.
After leaving Linderhof we headed on to Oberammergau village for some time to explore on our own. While I knew little to nothing about the infamous Passion Play, the village where it takes place is charming and reminded me of my time in Stein Am Rhein earlier in my trip. Its quiet streets, quaint shops and beautifully painted murals on the buildings was enough to keep this wandering solo traveler happy. I love charming little European towns and could have easily seen myself spending a night or two here enjoying the peaceful little village-like feel. And maybe I was just a little obsessed with beautifully painted buildings, too.
After we left Oberammergau, we headed to the main highlight of the tour, King Ludwig's "crème de la crème" of palaces and the castle the infamous Disney castle was modeled after, Neuschwanstein! Like many, I'd seen pictures for years and dreamed of seeing it in person. We first made our way to the bridge over the gorge to get essential pictures with the castle in all its glory behind us before heading to the castle itself for a tour inside. Like Linderhof, no pictures are allowed inside, the rooms, décor and layout of the palace is remarkable. It was a full day touring the Bavarian countryside, one that quickly topped my list for a return visit.
When I arrived in Munich, I knew I had one last day to squeeze in a tour before spending my last full day hitting the remaining sites in Munich I wanted to visit. I wanted to take in some history and visit Dachau, a former Holocaust concentration camp but wondered if I really wanted to end my amazing trip on such a somber note. In the end, it felt important to immerse myself into a bit of culture and I scheduled the half-day tour to Dachau. To say it was a somber and quite frankly emotional morning as we learned about the history and walked around the grounds, of Dachau is an understatement. It was an eye-opening morning that I'll never need to do again, but at the same time I'm glad I took the time to experience to give me perspective on a piece of history.
I spent my last full day in Munich leisurely visiting a few places I hadn't yet visited. I wandered through the Viktualienmarkt and made my way to the Hofbrauhaus for a late lunch and of course, beer! I visited the Munich Residenz and toured inside yet another immaculately decorated palace. I found my way to the Chinese Beer Garden and after several wrong turns eventually found the part in the river where surfers take turn riding the waves in Munich's English Garden. I took breaks to just sit in the various gardens to read my book and relish in all I'd seen in twelve jam-packed days in three countries. And finally, I made my way back to Marienplatz one last time to watch the Glockenspiel and climb to the top of the tower to see Munich from above. It was an unforgettable journey and one I cannot wait to repeat!
"Don't listen to what they say, GO SEE." - Unknown